Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Noem is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning she will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Noem attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, but she left school to run the family farm and ranch after her father died unexpectedly in a farming accident. While serving in Congress, she returned to school, enrolling in South Dakota State University, and earned a B.A. in political science in December 2011.
[1] Prior to her election to the U.S. House, Noem was a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives.[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Noem's academic, professional and political career:[2]

South Dakota House of Representatives

2009-2011

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[9] For more information pertaining to Noem's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[10]

National security

NDAA

Noem voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[11]

DHS Appropriations

Noem voted in support of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[11]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Noem opposed House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[11]

CISPA (2013)

Noem voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[12] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[11]

Economy

2014 Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[13] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[14][15] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[15] Noem voted with 161 other Republicanrepresentatives in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[16][17] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[17] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[18] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Noem voted with the majority of the Republican party in favor of the bill.[16]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[21] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[22] Noem voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[23]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[24] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Noem voted against HR 2775.[25]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Noem supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States.[26] The vote largely followed party lines.[27]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Noem supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[28]

Social issues

Abortion

Noem supported HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[29]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal cliff

Noem voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. She was one of 85 Republicans that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[33]

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of elected officials based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts or citations from books authored by or about the candidate. Based on the results of the quiz, Noem is a Libertarian-Leaning Conservative. Noem received a score of 37 percent on social issues and 79 percent on economic issues.[34]

On The Issues organization logo.

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

Campaign themes

2012

"America was built by people who longed for freedom, believed in individual responsibility and knew that government should serve the people - not the other way around. It is still true today, that the best government is the government that governs least."

Taxes and Spending

Excerpt: "The federal government has become large, intrusive and inefficient. This excessive growth is a direct threat to our liberty and to our values of individual responsibility and free enterprise. If elected to Congress, I will fight to protect our freedom and turn back the reach of government that is expanding deeper into our lives."

Creating Jobs

Excerpt: "Individual initiative and free enterprise will bring our economy back. Higher taxes and more regulations will slow down the recovery. The needless pork projects and the bailouts that the politicians tell us create jobs really just divert money from private sector job creators into government programs..."

Healthcare

Excerpt: "Putting the federal government between patients and their doctor is not the answer. If elected to Congress, I will support efforts to fully repeal the health care bill. If full repeal is not possible right away, then we must pursue other options to diminish its effect."

Second Amendment

Excerpt: "The Constitution guarantees the individual’s right to keep and bear arms. I am strong supporter of the Second Amendment. "

Protecting Life

Excerpt: "I am, and always have been, pro life. From the miracle of conception to a dignified death, life is precious and should be protected. The federal government has no business forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions. If elected to Congress, I will maintain a 100% pro-life voting record."

Retirement Security

Excerpt: "South Dakota seniors have put in a lifetime of hard work. They have paid into the system and we have the responsibility to make sure their retirement safety net is there as promised. I will work to protect Social Security for those in retirement and nearing retirement. I oppose privatizing Social Security."

South Dakota House of Representatives

Legislation

Bills Sponsored

HB 1168 - Require children to attend school until age sixteen rather than age eighteen.

HB 1202 - Require the director of equalization to use certain factors and adjustments to assess agricultural land and to allow the Department of Revenue and Regulation to assess certain agricultural land.

SB 106 - Authorize the Board of Regents and the Building Authority to contract for construction of classroom facilities at the University Center in Sioux Falls to replace facilities leased from the Sioux Falls School District, and to make an appropriation therefore.

SB 172 - Revise the definition for environmental upgrades used to provide a property tax exemption for coal-fired power plants.

SJR 7 - Proposing and submitting to the electors at the next general election an amendment to Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota relating to school districts expending public funds to support certain lawsuits against the State of South Dakota.

Polls

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

2012

In 2012, Noem was re-elected to the U.S. Congress, representing South Dakota's At-Large Congressional District.[37]

Comprehensive donor information for Noem is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Noem raised a total of $2,811,273 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 28, 2013.[49]

In her 2010 congressional campaign, Noem's campaign reported over 1.1 million in contributions.[52] The Federal Election Commission reported that Noem raised $577,131 for her 2010 election campaign. Of these funds, $525,165 came from individual contributions, $32,650 came from PACs or other non-party committees, and $6000 came from party committees. Noem contributed $13,262 to her campaign.[53]

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Noem's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $-478,991 to $640,999. That averages to $81,004, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican House members in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Noem ranked as the 384th most wealthy representative in 2012.[56] Between 2009 and 2012, Noem‘s calculated net worth[57] increased by an average of 6 percent per year.
Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[58]

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[60]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Noem received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Retired industry. Comparatively, the top industry employer in South Dakota's At-Large Congressional District was Educational services, and health care and social assistance, according to a 2012 U.S. Census survey.[61]

From 2009-2014, 22.76 percent of Noem's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[62]

Kristi Noem Campaign Contributions

Total Raised

$6,903,480

Total Spent

$5,926,457

Top industry in the district

Educational services, and health care and social assistance

Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee

Retired

$595,829

Health Professionals

$286,015

Crop Production & Basic Processing

$271,258

Leadership PACs

$215,401

Lawyers/Law Firms

$202,555

% total in top industry

8.63%

% total in top two industries

12.77%

% total in top five industries

22.76%

Analysis

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[63]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Noem missed 89 of 2,726 roll call votes from January 2011 to August 2014. This amounts to 3.3 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of August 2014.[66]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Noem paid her congressional staff a total of $772,075 in 2011. Overall, South Dakota ranked 48th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[67]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Noem was one of two members of the House who ranked 124th in the conservative rankings in 2013.[68]

2012

2011

Noem was one of two members of Congress who ranked 129th in the conservative rankings in 2011.[70]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Noem voted with the Republican Party 93.5 percent of the time, which ranked 146th among the 233 House Republican members as of August 2014.[71]

2013

Noem voted with the Republican Party 96.7 percent of the time, which ranked 90th among the 234 House Republican members as of June 2013.[72]

Personal

Noem is married to Bryon. They have three children.

Traffic citations

In the past 21 years, Noem has received 27 traffic citations, 17 of which were for speeding. Noem's last ticket reported her traveling 94mph in 75mph zone. Arrest warrants were issued for Noem for failure to appear in court in connection with her traffic tickets; however, local officials cited changes in ticket procedure as a possible cause of misunderstanding. Noem apologized and settled her fines with the city.[73]

Recent news

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↑The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections -- social and economic. In social questions, liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers.